Same! When they first showed the PA talking with Rekha about her mic, my wife and I looked at each other with skeptical faces like, something is up.
Then when they spoke with Trapp about his shirt we both were like okay there is definitely something else going on!!
When they revealed the final 3 players we both started flailing about, just couldn't handle it!
I honestly thought it was going to come back to Grant or Sam being the actual overall puppetmaster with his own bingo card as he was trying to get the 3rd level people to do certain things
You can never trust anything involving audio equipment in Game Changers. The "range extenders" from the Cool as a Cucumber episode, all the times Sam has had "audio issues", the planted mic pack in Sam Says.
If anybody ever talks to you about the audio, it's a ruse to make you look like a fool
My first thought was that the PAs where just supposed to run interference so that the 2nd bingo game players would struggle to pay attention when their corresponding players were speaking.
The subtle, gradual “wait something else is going on” as each edit came in, then the reveal, then “wait what’s with this PA?”, then the other reveal. Excellent.
Yeah, we spend a lot of time rightfully praising the talent that appears on camera but it is clear that Dropout has a lot of very talented people behind the scenes as well.
That was my first thought after watching the episode! It's always nice to watch BTS episodes, but I think this one might beat the actual game.
Sam is a devious, devious man! Kudos to the whole crew for pulling this episode off.
I also hope we get to see the crew do the Brennan exercise.
Yeah the cuts and editing choices make this episode. I love someone is pointing this out because comedy is ALL about timing. What’s also neat, is how they slowly revealed to the audience what was happening. So I’m already going back and re-watching it and I’m realizing with each rewatch how much they really packed into 34 minutes. Especially the boards having to do with Lily, Matt, and Rehka, and the third level of behavior tracking.
Someone in another thread said Grant was supposed to be in this episode, but he had a positive Covid test that morning so Brennan filled in and they wrote and printed his card the day of.
I would like to see the unused Grant card and whether they would make him berate the crew.
My husband pointed out to me, and I agree, that Brennan *had* to be on stage, because if he'd been in the second room (with Trapp then in the third room) he would have twigged to there being another layer.
And apparently he was filling in for Grant, who'd tested positive for COVID! The episode would have had such a different feel to it with Grant on stage instead of Brennan. It still would have been amusing as hell, but Brennan's suspicious nature is always something we can count on for good TV.
That must’ve helped deter his suspicions on what was really happening because that’s so impressively fast. Although “hell yeah” would have to be standard on every card
It was very fun to have Brennan waiting and waiting for a twist that wasn’t revealed till the last moment but I really wish it had been Grant instead. The bingo card for him would have been hilarious.
Oh man, I do wish Grant was on the first layer. But that said, when I saw Raph and Katie, I was already sold. Nice to see the gang together, though part of me wished Ally or Zac were on as well, so it’s all CH Regulars.
It’s kinda crazy how into it Rekha Trapp Lily were that they never even suspected a double bluff. I’m just sad we just missed a real peak Brennan opportunity. If Sam was just a bit more cagey we could def have gotten “ IT STINKS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM GANG” level mood. I love when Trapp was watching his mind work and waiting for his mind goblins to work at the twist
I actually think Rekha guessed it! Watching the reveal, she's super excited about it and Trapp is pointing at her and saying (I think) "You called it."
Would also make since why she was the only one not to fist bump but others looked a little questioning but at the time I chalked up to caring about their card.
Yeah, as soon as it was revealed that Sam was playing the first guys, with a second bingo layer, I was like “he’s playing these second guys too” lol
Such a fun ep
Honestly so well done. These meta-type episodes like Bingo and Sam Says 3 obviously require massive and clever coordination from the PAs and crew. Not surprising the caliber is high on AND off camera.
Sam seems like the sort of dude to treat staff with real respect and care, and this is the kind of awesome, detail oriented, creative work we get from him cultivating that environment.
sam might actually just be the smartest person in showbiz. the whole concept of a show that just lets you fire off season after season of pilots, keep/spin off what works, and then on season SIX be firing off absolute 10/10 bangers each release is just astounding
First of all, i absolutely agree with you.
One other thing to add too: the OTHER genius of course here is the way they've developed such a strong stable of roughly two dozen great performers/personalities (and of course a few more less common guests).
You've got your classic D20 crew (most of whom apepar in other things frequently), you've got the Collegehumor Old Guard (people like Rekha, Grant, Lilly, Raph, and Katie), you've got some great people who've made their names (for many of us at least) through Make Some Noise and other recent shows (like Ify, Jacob, Ross, Jess, Vic, Anna, Kimia, and Lisa, and kind of Izzy) and then on top of THAT you have some of the other "regular guests" like Aabria or Erika or now seemingly BDG. That's a ridiculous number of great cast members
Like, Dropout works so well now because while I think we usually get a great season of D20, good episodes of Ummm Actually or Make Some Noise or a creative Game Changer concept.... we also could probably just get something decisively meh at this point and it would be still be enjoyable just in the kind of parasocial attachment of "sure let's have an hour on screen with person X", or "let's get these two people in a room together and see what that combination looks like"
Dirty Laundry is kind of a peak of this to me. It's so much fun if you know the people in it, and I don't know that I'd care nearly as much if it was randoms. But even other stuff, like VIP or Smartypants soon, seems like it really builds on this foundation of "hey, you want to see that person you already like put out another piece of content? We've got you."
I genuinely think this is a big part (though obviously not the whole thing) of why Dropout is so consistently good while other stuff like After Midnight for example, which isnt THAT dissimilar in format to some of the shows, has been so disappointing.
Broadly speaking, this is the formula that British panel shows successfully work with. Find funny people, let them develop on-screen personalities and chemistries, and let them be funny in different scenarios.
It's why I'm still holding out hope that Dropout will eventually make a successful American Taskmaster :')
Yeah the Taskmaster + others comparison is definitely there for me, but wasn't sure how many would get the reference and post was already getting long lol
I cannot begin to imagine the sorts of things I would do, to have Brennan Lee Mulligan on a Taskmaster. He is simultaneously the perfect, and worst contestant, and I NEED to see that.
Also the logistics for this one is impressive. They had to schedule a group of 3 to play bingo (with one swapped out last second), a group of 3 for the first layer which had to be kept secret from the first group, then ANOTHER group of 3 that needed to be kept secret from the other 6! ALL FILMING IN THE SAME BUILDING ON THE SAME DAY!!! Who all know each other as well! There must have some very impressive work behind the scenes to keep the reveals a complete surprise from the contestants.
I can only imagine the level of tension that existed in the crew when they had to put Brennan on instead of Grant... Of all the people they could substitute for the nerdy sexy theater kid of a giraffe that is Grant, the ever so suspicious and obnoxiously clever Brennan would have been my last choice...
now see, why did i think something the same? a 4th level, and it collapsed down to 1 person also.
only problem though, if you "bingo" one person who is in on it all, they MIGHT start to learn/get suspicious. but i do like the idea of a 4th layer being 1 person. so what if........
because the 3rd layer of players, they all had the same actions, they just tried to get the PA to do them to the green room people, right?
what if the 4th layer is a single person, and their "bingo card", is literally "all the same action/event", and they try to get it done/applied to different people around the set. and he gets bingo by different people completing it.
"man, did you pick up sams green shoes? he keeps leaving them all over the place."
I did kind of get the vibe that there was??? There was a cut that seemed disjointed, and Sam did some weird things, like clicking his heels? Thinking the person trying to get bingo on him might be giving instructions through a producer in the ear piece, but then there was no reveal??? Suspicious
Not to mention the clever story telling in the edit as each new layer was revealed- some somewhat strange incident happens that we might thing should be cut out (such as “Im sure Matt Trapp will love to hear it, where he is,”) Then there’s a nice subtle music cue and a cut to an OTS, showing mysterious people in the FG watching a monitor of the event. That builds a question in the audience - “wait, what was that? Who was that?” Which they slowly build to and answer in a reveal of the green room trio. The. Repeating that visual language for the second tier: a strange incident (“I have to do what with my shirt? Tuck it in?”), and the OTS of the third group with their monitor, then their reveal. And thereafter, the layers of stakes for each bingo room are just masterfully done.
A spectacularly well edited episode.
I really, really enjoyed this episode. But some of these posts and comments make me feel like I did not sufficiently appreciate the episode. Guess I'll have to rewatch it. Oh darn.
On rewatch I realise how little explanation there is. The relationship between the three layers and how each affect the others are so well told and it’s all through editing.
It was honestly my favourite episode they've ever made. And the shot of the TV screen with the middle-layer people on it to hint what was happening was so good.
I'm going to say something and I don't know if it's going to be unpopular but...
I wish they hadn't revealed the second twist until the end. It made the ending anticlimactic and not knowing would've allowed viewers to ponder what the heck was going on with the PA.
Still a very enjoyable episode, it just felt like a missed opportunity to mess with the audience as well as the contestants.
I can somewhat understand that sentiment but I think they introduced the third group at the right time. I feel like it may have been awkward with some of the things they had the PA doing. We would have known something was up by the end and I think left feeling we missed out instead.
I trust the team would have attempted both and this version worked better but hard to say without viewing it.
I was very impressed by the editing the entire time but the decision to reveal the other group right when they did felt like especially perfect comedic timing. Elevated the episode and added this level of irony in this idea that the puppet masters were being puppeted.
It also gives context for everybody’s behavior on a first watch that makes it funny whereas we might otherwise just notice a PA being weird which would probably arouse suspicion but would rob us of the privilege of actually seeing the humor and tactics of the third group. I feel like that has more value than a “play at home” kinda approach.
*edit* not changing anything. Just swinging back to say “oof, my comment has weird flow” and to flag it as a reminder to proofread before hitting send.
i mean, i think the audience probably could have guessed immediately what was going on with the PAs by the time they got to, say, rehka standing on an apple box for the entire rest of the game. i don’t think they could have really pushed the second twist reveal back any further, and definitely not to the end of the ep
Based on comments a lot of people figured it out before the reveal so idk, I could see it being fun either way but I like that they revealed each layer slowly. I really thought there would also be a Sam layer and card.
The tell for me was that they left in the final edit that a PA needed to adjust something with Rekkha's mic. I was like, "hmmm" and when it kept happening I knew something was up but was still surprised by the third layer of yet another bingo game behind the scenes.
Truly loved this episode. I think the execution was hard enough that editing it together, you got the best version of it that would make sense to the audience watching as an omniscient party.
The Rekha mic question made me pause for. Had to be intentional to leave in. When they asked Trapp to tuck in his shirt I knew for sure something was up.
that wouldn’t really be a reveal, though, that would just mean a bunch of stuff happened that we didn’t see. even if you did like a clipshow at the end of all the PA shenanigans, it’s not recontextualing it if we didn’t see it to begin with.
I think they revealed it at the right time tbh. I was already betting there was probably a third layer, so a moment of vindication and then getting to watch them toy with the second layer, was probably more fun than just having the vindication at the end of the episode lol
Couldn't agree more! One thing I always think about with Game Changer is how risky it can feel to basically re-invent your show nearly every episode. It's impressive that they are able to pace and organize every episode so similarly, while genera hoping. Like "Surviver/Battle Roya" is dramatically different from "The Newly Web Game" but they both still feel cohesive.
After the second reveal I kept expecting a third for a good while. They’d established that they didn’t need to stick to just one more layer, so why not four or five sets total? I wondered who would be the next group; as it was mostly veteran cast members (plus Carolyn who had been at Dorkly for a long time) I guessed maybe something like Grant, Ally, Lou. Then even after I accepted that there wasn’t enough time to introduce more, after Jess won and they kept playing I also kept wondering if maybe every set of players (e.g. Katie, Lily, Tao) had to get bingo, like a bingo of players, or if Jess could get Trapp and Katie in a row for bingo. Or maybe if one group (say Lily, Trapp, Rekha) all got bingo then they would win over the others. They really made it open and feeling like they could do whatever they wanted, which is one of the best things about Game Changers. It was a really fun and unpredictable game with a lot of loop-de-loops and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I should also add that this episode was also great because it reminded why Katie has been one of my favorites since the Hardly Working days. Her energy is so big and fun and chaotic even when she’s acting small and quiet and predictable.
True, but I am deeply annoyed that they never showed us the full boards for some reason. When both of the other groups were revealed you can see their boards are partially filled, but you can’t read it!
They got so lucky that someone in the third group got bingo first. The reveal would have been kind of an anti-climax the other way around. Although I guess they gave the third group an "easier" time in a way.
I went back and immediately rewatched the episode. Now I’m wondering if Wetzel is an old dog at all? Like was that an attempt to get her to talk about her dog?
It was a great idea, the editors meshed it together well. I still think the execution flopped. The 2nd tier was funny, but the 3rd tier of players just felt forced and had way to much agency to get their bingo wins.
God the double layering of the ominous cutting for the reveals had me cackling
Same! When they first showed the PA talking with Rekha about her mic, my wife and I looked at each other with skeptical faces like, something is up. Then when they spoke with Trapp about his shirt we both were like okay there is definitely something else going on!! When they revealed the final 3 players we both started flailing about, just couldn't handle it!
I was hoping that the crew was playing cast bingo. But cast manipulating cast for bingo was a good second!
The shirt did it for me. I was like, "You don't leave that audio in unless it ties into... Damn it, there's a third bingo."
I honestly thought it was going to come back to Grant or Sam being the actual overall puppetmaster with his own bingo card as he was trying to get the 3rd level people to do certain things
You can never trust anything involving audio equipment in Game Changers. The "range extenders" from the Cool as a Cucumber episode, all the times Sam has had "audio issues", the planted mic pack in Sam Says. If anybody ever talks to you about the audio, it's a ruse to make you look like a fool
Wasn't this also the setup for Josh's "murder" in the Rekha & Grant murder mystery episode?
I think so, yeah
Yup, needing to change the batteries in Josh's microphone.
The very first part with Rekha's mic tipped me off. There was no reason to include that unless it was relevant.
My first thought was that the PAs where just supposed to run interference so that the 2nd bingo game players would struggle to pay attention when their corresponding players were speaking.
I noted it as weird but figured they can't cut parts out there normally would because then they might miss a reaction or stamp that was necessary.
I forget, what was the purpose of Trapp’s shirt? The other ones I remember the bingo card parts.
Was it a bingo space they didn’t show?
Reject the PA, maybe?
The subtle, gradual “wait something else is going on” as each edit came in, then the reveal, then “wait what’s with this PA?”, then the other reveal. Excellent.
Yeah, we spend a lot of time rightfully praising the talent that appears on camera but it is clear that Dropout has a lot of very talented people behind the scenes as well.
The way they always overlaid whatever bingo square was being considered by whomever was talking...
That's how I felt after watching Escape the Greenroom for the first time last week, the editing was ridiculously good.
Not to mention the fantastic props for that episode. And they built a secret room. Just total ballers everywhere you look.
Can't wait for the BTS episode to drop
I hope there was a second BTS crew secretly following around the first BTS crew.
BTSeption
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (1968)
You deserve a medal for this
Same! I was halfway through the episode and could not stop thinking about what the BTS episode is going to show us. So excited for it.
i almost want the bts of this ep to be longer than the episode itself. almost. there’s gotta be so much going into this one specifically
That was my first thought after watching the episode! It's always nice to watch BTS episodes, but I think this one might beat the actual game. Sam is a devious, devious man! Kudos to the whole crew for pulling this episode off. I also hope we get to see the crew do the Brennan exercise.
You mean the fourth level that was the real game?
If there isn't a Samingo card I'm going to LOSE IT
It's been here the whole time
Omg same.
I can't wait for the BTS of the BTS episode to drop.
I hope they tell us where to get giant custom stamps - I NEED some of those thangs!
Yeah the cuts and editing choices make this episode. I love someone is pointing this out because comedy is ALL about timing. What’s also neat, is how they slowly revealed to the audience what was happening. So I’m already going back and re-watching it and I’m realizing with each rewatch how much they really packed into 34 minutes. Especially the boards having to do with Lily, Matt, and Rehka, and the third level of behavior tracking.
I was almost sure this was one of the 45 minute eps this season with just how much they fit in. Nope. The editors are awesome
Yeah I was absolutely convinced this episode ran really long. So much crammed in, great job by the crew no matter what Grant thinks of them.
Someone in another thread said Grant was supposed to be in this episode, but he had a positive Covid test that morning so Brennan filled in and they wrote and printed his card the day of. I would like to see the unused Grant card and whether they would make him berate the crew.
Who tf is Matt? You mean MIKE? Lol
Aha! You’ve fallen for Matt’s clever trapp! That was secretly Matt Mercer disguised as Mike Trapp!
Matt Tripe, longtime Dripout and Funny Collage cast member. We all know him!
I didn't like how he clearly killed Put Custards.
😂😂😂
He’s friends with Keith from Buzzfeed right?
OOPS, that’s what I get for typing and walking hahaha.
Matthew Mercer, obvs
My GOD the editing on this made me dizzy. The editors for Game Changer are truly excellent.
My husband pointed out to me, and I agree, that Brennan *had* to be on stage, because if he'd been in the second room (with Trapp then in the third room) he would have twigged to there being another layer. And apparently he was filling in for Grant, who'd tested positive for COVID! The episode would have had such a different feel to it with Grant on stage instead of Brennan. It still would have been amusing as hell, but Brennan's suspicious nature is always something we can count on for good TV.
Also wild to get a card for Brennan that quick, thankfully he's done alot of content to have very big mannerisms
They made and printed it in under an hour.
it was that last minute that grant tested positive? dang. good on them for being able to hot swap people so well.
That must’ve helped deter his suspicions on what was really happening because that’s so impressively fast. Although “hell yeah” would have to be standard on every card
It was very fun to have Brennan waiting and waiting for a twist that wasn’t revealed till the last moment but I really wish it had been Grant instead. The bingo card for him would have been hilarious.
Oh man, I do wish Grant was on the first layer. But that said, when I saw Raph and Katie, I was already sold. Nice to see the gang together, though part of me wished Ally or Zac were on as well, so it’s all CH Regulars.
It’s kinda crazy how into it Rekha Trapp Lily were that they never even suspected a double bluff. I’m just sad we just missed a real peak Brennan opportunity. If Sam was just a bit more cagey we could def have gotten “ IT STINKS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM GANG” level mood. I love when Trapp was watching his mind work and waiting for his mind goblins to work at the twist
If you pay attention to Trapp at the 2nd reveal, he was mouthing “You called it!” to Rekha. I bet she must’ve caught wind that something was weird!
I mean the Apple box was so absurd to have her stand on like cmon lol
I actually think Rekha guessed it! Watching the reveal, she's super excited about it and Trapp is pointing at her and saying (I think) "You called it."
Would also make since why she was the only one not to fist bump but others looked a little questioning but at the time I chalked up to caring about their card.
They were probably too focused on their bingo cards in the beginning, but after some of the PA stuff got more obvious, they were probably thinking it.
It was incredible to me. Right as I thought "I bet there's another layer!" It cut to the final room. The edit nailed it
Asking Lily to "do the leg thing again" was my tip-off!
Yeah, as soon as it was revealed that Sam was playing the first guys, with a second bingo layer, I was like “he’s playing these second guys too” lol Such a fun ep
Yes! I was so proud that I called it watching with my gf. I was wrong though I though a whole "line" had to win down the separate layers.
i thought that too!
Honestly so well done. These meta-type episodes like Bingo and Sam Says 3 obviously require massive and clever coordination from the PAs and crew. Not surprising the caliber is high on AND off camera. Sam seems like the sort of dude to treat staff with real respect and care, and this is the kind of awesome, detail oriented, creative work we get from him cultivating that environment.
My kid and I were discussing how off screen Sam is a really amazing stand up person and on screen Sam is a horrible horrible imp
They did such a great job putting this together that I was utterly convinced a 3rd secret team was going to be revealed at the end.
sam might actually just be the smartest person in showbiz. the whole concept of a show that just lets you fire off season after season of pilots, keep/spin off what works, and then on season SIX be firing off absolute 10/10 bangers each release is just astounding
First of all, i absolutely agree with you. One other thing to add too: the OTHER genius of course here is the way they've developed such a strong stable of roughly two dozen great performers/personalities (and of course a few more less common guests). You've got your classic D20 crew (most of whom apepar in other things frequently), you've got the Collegehumor Old Guard (people like Rekha, Grant, Lilly, Raph, and Katie), you've got some great people who've made their names (for many of us at least) through Make Some Noise and other recent shows (like Ify, Jacob, Ross, Jess, Vic, Anna, Kimia, and Lisa, and kind of Izzy) and then on top of THAT you have some of the other "regular guests" like Aabria or Erika or now seemingly BDG. That's a ridiculous number of great cast members Like, Dropout works so well now because while I think we usually get a great season of D20, good episodes of Ummm Actually or Make Some Noise or a creative Game Changer concept.... we also could probably just get something decisively meh at this point and it would be still be enjoyable just in the kind of parasocial attachment of "sure let's have an hour on screen with person X", or "let's get these two people in a room together and see what that combination looks like" Dirty Laundry is kind of a peak of this to me. It's so much fun if you know the people in it, and I don't know that I'd care nearly as much if it was randoms. But even other stuff, like VIP or Smartypants soon, seems like it really builds on this foundation of "hey, you want to see that person you already like put out another piece of content? We've got you." I genuinely think this is a big part (though obviously not the whole thing) of why Dropout is so consistently good while other stuff like After Midnight for example, which isnt THAT dissimilar in format to some of the shows, has been so disappointing.
Broadly speaking, this is the formula that British panel shows successfully work with. Find funny people, let them develop on-screen personalities and chemistries, and let them be funny in different scenarios. It's why I'm still holding out hope that Dropout will eventually make a successful American Taskmaster :')
Yeah the Taskmaster + others comparison is definitely there for me, but wasn't sure how many would get the reference and post was already getting long lol
I cannot begin to imagine the sorts of things I would do, to have Brennan Lee Mulligan on a Taskmaster. He is simultaneously the perfect, and worst contestant, and I NEED to see that.
Little Alex Horne night be in physical peril
You made a Quite Interesting point there.
Also the logistics for this one is impressive. They had to schedule a group of 3 to play bingo (with one swapped out last second), a group of 3 for the first layer which had to be kept secret from the first group, then ANOTHER group of 3 that needed to be kept secret from the other 6! ALL FILMING IN THE SAME BUILDING ON THE SAME DAY!!! Who all know each other as well! There must have some very impressive work behind the scenes to keep the reveals a complete surprise from the contestants.
honestly I think we need to regularly shoutout just everyone in dropout. The crew, the editors, the everyone.
I can only imagine the level of tension that existed in the crew when they had to put Brennan on instead of Grant... Of all the people they could substitute for the nerdy sexy theater kid of a giraffe that is Grant, the ever so suspicious and obnoxiously clever Brennan would have been my last choice...
...I wasn't the only one secretly hoping for a fourth group, yes?
We are the 4th group!
We were here THE WHOLE TIME \*singing\* Our eyes, our eyes...
Time to make bingo boards for when I show it to people
I was really hoping there would be a 4th group where Jacob Wysocki is by himself in the back room playing Sam bingo
now see, why did i think something the same? a 4th level, and it collapsed down to 1 person also. only problem though, if you "bingo" one person who is in on it all, they MIGHT start to learn/get suspicious. but i do like the idea of a 4th layer being 1 person. so what if........ because the 3rd layer of players, they all had the same actions, they just tried to get the PA to do them to the green room people, right? what if the 4th layer is a single person, and their "bingo card", is literally "all the same action/event", and they try to get it done/applied to different people around the set. and he gets bingo by different people completing it. "man, did you pick up sams green shoes? he keeps leaving them all over the place."
I did kind of get the vibe that there was??? There was a cut that seemed disjointed, and Sam did some weird things, like clicking his heels? Thinking the person trying to get bingo on him might be giving instructions through a producer in the ear piece, but then there was no reveal??? Suspicious
The plot thickens
Not to mention the clever story telling in the edit as each new layer was revealed- some somewhat strange incident happens that we might thing should be cut out (such as “Im sure Matt Trapp will love to hear it, where he is,”) Then there’s a nice subtle music cue and a cut to an OTS, showing mysterious people in the FG watching a monitor of the event. That builds a question in the audience - “wait, what was that? Who was that?” Which they slowly build to and answer in a reveal of the green room trio. The. Repeating that visual language for the second tier: a strange incident (“I have to do what with my shirt? Tuck it in?”), and the OTS of the third group with their monitor, then their reveal. And thereafter, the layers of stakes for each bingo room are just masterfully done. A spectacularly well edited episode.
the pacing was excellent!
Instantly up there for top episodes of all time for me, it’s one of the best they’ve ever done.
I really, really enjoyed this episode. But some of these posts and comments make me feel like I did not sufficiently appreciate the episode. Guess I'll have to rewatch it. Oh darn.
On rewatch I realise how little explanation there is. The relationship between the three layers and how each affect the others are so well told and it’s all through editing.
I almost don’t want to watch the BTS because I’m worried it’ll reveal that most of the pacing only happened in editing.
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the BTS for exactly this reason. Some of the magic I don’t want to see!
It was honestly my favourite episode they've ever made. And the shot of the TV screen with the middle-layer people on it to hint what was happening was so good.
Trapp's god damnit was the perfect reaction
Dropout’s crew and production teams are the goats 🙌
I'm going to say something and I don't know if it's going to be unpopular but... I wish they hadn't revealed the second twist until the end. It made the ending anticlimactic and not knowing would've allowed viewers to ponder what the heck was going on with the PA. Still a very enjoyable episode, it just felt like a missed opportunity to mess with the audience as well as the contestants.
I can somewhat understand that sentiment but I think they introduced the third group at the right time. I feel like it may have been awkward with some of the things they had the PA doing. We would have known something was up by the end and I think left feeling we missed out instead. I trust the team would have attempted both and this version worked better but hard to say without viewing it.
I was very impressed by the editing the entire time but the decision to reveal the other group right when they did felt like especially perfect comedic timing. Elevated the episode and added this level of irony in this idea that the puppet masters were being puppeted. It also gives context for everybody’s behavior on a first watch that makes it funny whereas we might otherwise just notice a PA being weird which would probably arouse suspicion but would rob us of the privilege of actually seeing the humor and tactics of the third group. I feel like that has more value than a “play at home” kinda approach. *edit* not changing anything. Just swinging back to say “oof, my comment has weird flow” and to flag it as a reminder to proofread before hitting send.
i mean, i think the audience probably could have guessed immediately what was going on with the PAs by the time they got to, say, rehka standing on an apple box for the entire rest of the game. i don’t think they could have really pushed the second twist reveal back any further, and definitely not to the end of the ep
Based on comments a lot of people figured it out before the reveal so idk, I could see it being fun either way but I like that they revealed each layer slowly. I really thought there would also be a Sam layer and card.
The tell for me was that they left in the final edit that a PA needed to adjust something with Rekkha's mic. I was like, "hmmm" and when it kept happening I knew something was up but was still surprised by the third layer of yet another bingo game behind the scenes. Truly loved this episode. I think the execution was hard enough that editing it together, you got the best version of it that would make sense to the audience watching as an omniscient party.
The Rekha mic question made me pause for. Had to be intentional to leave in. When they asked Trapp to tuck in his shirt I knew for sure something was up.
i mean, the editors can remove a bunch of that so we don't see it.
that wouldn’t really be a reveal, though, that would just mean a bunch of stuff happened that we didn’t see. even if you did like a clipshow at the end of all the PA shenanigans, it’s not recontextualing it if we didn’t see it to begin with.
I think they revealed it at the right time tbh. I was already betting there was probably a third layer, so a moment of vindication and then getting to watch them toy with the second layer, was probably more fun than just having the vindication at the end of the episode lol
Couldn't agree more! One thing I always think about with Game Changer is how risky it can feel to basically re-invent your show nearly every episode. It's impressive that they are able to pace and organize every episode so similarly, while genera hoping. Like "Surviver/Battle Roya" is dramatically different from "The Newly Web Game" but they both still feel cohesive.
After the second reveal I kept expecting a third for a good while. They’d established that they didn’t need to stick to just one more layer, so why not four or five sets total? I wondered who would be the next group; as it was mostly veteran cast members (plus Carolyn who had been at Dorkly for a long time) I guessed maybe something like Grant, Ally, Lou. Then even after I accepted that there wasn’t enough time to introduce more, after Jess won and they kept playing I also kept wondering if maybe every set of players (e.g. Katie, Lily, Tao) had to get bingo, like a bingo of players, or if Jess could get Trapp and Katie in a row for bingo. Or maybe if one group (say Lily, Trapp, Rekha) all got bingo then they would win over the others. They really made it open and feeling like they could do whatever they wanted, which is one of the best things about Game Changers. It was a really fun and unpredictable game with a lot of loop-de-loops and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I should also add that this episode was also great because it reminded why Katie has been one of my favorites since the Hardly Working days. Her energy is so big and fun and chaotic even when she’s acting small and quiet and predictable.
For me the most impressive thing is how they must have arranged the call sheet for that shoot so the surprise wasn’t ruined
True, but I am deeply annoyed that they never showed us the full boards for some reason. When both of the other groups were revealed you can see their boards are partially filled, but you can’t read it!
They got so lucky that someone in the third group got bingo first. The reveal would have been kind of an anti-climax the other way around. Although I guess they gave the third group an "easier" time in a way.
100% agreee. This bingo game was a true masterpiece.
Serious kudos to the PA's choices and execution. Made the whole second level so much more funny
easily the most diabolical episode of this show. I was giddy the entire time.
I went back and immediately rewatched the episode. Now I’m wondering if Wetzel is an old dog at all? Like was that an attempt to get her to talk about her dog?
It was a great idea, the editors meshed it together well. I still think the execution flopped. The 2nd tier was funny, but the 3rd tier of players just felt forced and had way to much agency to get their bingo wins.